This past Monday night Busy Signal blew away the annual Hummingbird gala crowd with a performance that got every single attendee shaking it out on the dancefloor as the Turf Prez threw down classics from “One More Night” to “Watch Out For This.” The American Friends of Jamaica is a charitable organization founded in 1982 that works in a collaborative effort with Jamaican organizations and stakeholders to bring about change in the lives of people in need. Their annual Hummingbird Gala is an opportunity for the Diaspora community, supporters and friends with an interest in Jamaica to give back in the areas of education, healthcare and economic development. Sponsors of this year’s event included title sponosr ICD Group, Caribbean Food Delights, Quality AutoMall, JetBlue and Carimed Ltd. “I am honored to share with these friends of the AFJ. I consider myself very blessed to be able to give back,” said Busy Signal. Continues After The Jump…Read more »

Born in the Bay Area and based in London, Natty has carved out his own lane, first as a go-to producer and then as a soul-reggae crossover star. His 2008 major label debut Man Like I made a big splash on Atlantic Records, with the single ‘Badman’ topping the charts in Japan. He’s also spent time trodding the earth, building with Rasta elders and spiritual shamans, and supporting the work of erasefoundation.org. This year he’s back with a new album titled Release The Fear recorded with his new band The Rebelship, blending African beats, and analog acoustic sounds. Today Boomshots proudly premieres the visuals for his new single “Seasons Change” featuring the Turf Prezident and Albo. Big tune. Video After The Jump…

Share this:

The Turf President’s Historic Set Got Cut Short at Groovin in the Park—We Spoke With Him Right Afterwards

Yesterday Busy Signal made history by performing his first ever show in the U.S.A. at this year’s Groovin In The Park festival. But re-writing history is not always an easy road—sometimes there are a few potholes along the way. On this day one of the most dreamed-about days of Busy’s life turned out to be a somewhat bittersweet reality. Bolting onto the stage Busy opened with his breakout track, “Step Out.” Bouncing around the stage like a ball of energy, he segued into “Nah Go Jail Again” before transitioning into a moment of thanksgiving as Buju Banton’s voice rang out in the park “Oh our Father, Who Art In Zion…” while Busy counted his blessings for being given the opportunity to perform for his American fans. “A foreign mi deh,” he said with pride. “Big foreign!” This was the moment he had been waiting for all his life—a moment that over 30,000 people spent their money to witness, some traveling in from all over the world. His fans wanted to witness the moment when Busy’s incredible journey—building his career for over 12 years, being released from prison, getting his visa back, getting an approved work permit—came to fulfillment. “You are looking at a walking miracle,” he told the audience, almost in disbelief. But just when it seemed things couldn’t get any better, they took a sudden turn for the worse. Video and Full Story After The Jump…Read more »

“Turf President represent for the street,” says Busy at the top of his latest release, uploaded to his Soundcloud less than 24 hours ago. “All these hardcore niggas. Real niggas. Me ah no one a dem just-come boys deh. We no just talk this. We do this. Muthafucka we live this.” Then Busy proceeds to spit fire over Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm” beat, name-checking legendary dancehall artists from Baby Cham to Shabba to Bounty Killer and Capleton. This Sunday Busy will perform his first ever show in America at Groovin’ In The Park. It’s hard to imagine how he feels right now, but if this track is any indication of his mindstate at the moment this Sunday ah go maaaaad. Audio After The Jump…Read more »

Share this:

A Life Threatening Accident Causes Seanizzle to Produce Music With A Message

In the fall of 2016, Sean Reid, Seanizzle was basking in the glory of the “47 Floor” riddim, with it’s bosterous trumpet propagating over waves of jazz sounds. Two months later, on November 27, 2016, the producer experienced moments that changed his life forever. As Seanizzle recovered at Kingston Public Hospital, he felt thankful to be alive and had a greater appreciation for making music. We spoke with Seanizzle about his musical path and spiritual enlightenment. More After The Jump…

The Newly Energized Entertainer Hints That A Busy Signal U.S. Tour Is In The Works

Reanno Gordon, Busy Signal continues to stand out as an artist in 2017. He stepped out onto the musical scene in 2002, modeling his career after international reggae icon, Bounty Killer. Now he has an even clearer vision for his future with his new VISA status. In January, Busy Signal visited New York for a quick media run with Ebro Darden, Laura Styles,Funk Masterflex,Bobby Konders and Jabba for Hot 97 FM and Reshma B for Boomshots TV (four-part interview at the end of article) to discuss his new EP, Fresh From Yaad. Following this, Busy embarked on anEuropean Tour and this week he revived up his fans in the U.S. with a tweet: “Coming to a city near you. Wherever in world you are! ASAP- Turf President.” In light of the impending tour, this article will serve to give an in-depth review of the Fresh From Yaad EP. Album Review After The Jump

Dameon Gayle, is to reggae and dancehall what Hype Williams is to hip hop. He grew up in Waterhouse and learned to play drum, keyboard and bass guitar by ear, as a child. By 18, he began hanging out with local musicians in his community including, Bob Andy. This early introduction to music would shape his life and career. More After The Jump…

Busy Signal always gets made love in Africa, but yesterday’s concert in Malawi took the Turf Prez to another level—in his own personalized helicopter. The Jamaican reggae/dancehall star arrived in style for his Saturday night show at Civo stadium in Lilongwe thanks to Impact Events boss Lucius Banda, who called in a few favors with the Malawi Defense Force. The southeast African nation’s military forces kindly provided a personalized chopper for Busy—now that’s how you make an entrance!—and an extremely secure ride home after the show. “Safely escorted to hotel by the Army, no one can Harm Mi,” Busy posted on his IG, adding: “Oh, and and tell @reggaesumfest seh mi performed for 3 hours and 37 minutes with my personal Band. Thank you so much! GOD BLESS.” So the thing set. Check out the crowd reaction whenever Busy steps out the chopper or steps to the stage. Hot-head!Videos After The Jump…Read more »

Some things just can’t be improved upon, but that doesn’t mean they should be left alone. King Jammy’s 1987 “Score” Riddim is a perfect example, a track that defines digital lovers rock. There was something about Steely’s warm and easy computer bassline and those crstyal-clear twinkling high notes combined with Clevie’s tastefully understated drum programming. The riddim became an instant classic when it first appeared on Frankie Paul’s “I Know The Score” from FP’s crucial Original Sara album, with additional versions by Sanchez and Thriller U available on 12-inch discomix. A quarter century later Busy Signal has brought the riddim forward with a brand new song entitled “Colder.” Utilizing Edi Fitzroy’s distinctive stammer-phrase on the hook, the Turf Prez sings for the girls, evokes bygone dancehall days, and pays homage to the elders who paved the way. The only thing worth changing is the title, cause this tune is definitely #Hotted. “Fe real, fe real, fe real pull up that one from top.” Audio After The Jump…Read more »

While Major Lazer might be the biggest names in EDM to flex dancehall riddims and vibes in their tracks, they’re far from the only ones. Houston, Texas’ Ape Drums has been at this for a bit, describing his sound as essentially taking his EDM projects and making them into bigger dancehall riddims. His experimental EDM/dancehall hybrid has been a hit, landing him on some of the hottest EDM labels out, including Skrillex’s OWSLA and Diplo’s Mad Decent imprints. For his latest, he links up with Diplo’s Major Lazer crew and the legendary Busy Signal for “The Way We Do This,” wisely flipping Tony Kelly’s Bookshelf Riddim (made famous by everyone from Sasha on “Dat Sexy Body” to Sean Paul with his classic “Deport Them”) and turning it into a banger that will light up any dance going down this summer. Audio After The Jump…Read more »

In comes a crucial herbalist anthem for 4/19 to tide you over until tomorrow. The 4/20 Riddim was produced by Dev Kutta of Livity Movements and DRWTHVN (a new recruit from Guyana) released on LMI Records, managed by the one Paul Parris. “This is our 3rd release for the year, Octane’s ‘Fallin’ EDM mix was first and we are part of the Noise Cans/Dim Mak remix pack for the “Bucka” record that came out last week.” Boomshots proudly premieres something new from the Turf Prez: The plump squelchy bass notes on this joint signal that we’re in for bare madness. Audio After The Jump…

Rebelution frontman, Eric Rachmany, and DJ/producer Amp Live are definitely on to something with their side project Unified Highway. Ever since Boomshots premiered their video for “My Space” in January the response to their genre-bending sonic alchemy has been overwhelming. “This album is actually pretty diverse,” Eric told us back then. “Every song is a little bit different from the other, so we are excited for people to hear the diversity.” His words are borne out by their latest video, the sun-and-bikini-bonanza called “My Only” featuring sixteen blazing bars from Busy Signal. “Honestly, I’m not saying this to brag or anything but I really feel like this project is groundbreaking. It’s different from anything I’ve ever heard or been a part of.” Leggo. Video After The Jump…Read more »